The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-11-03
TWO Methods.

1t Is OF course of the highest Importance to
President Cleyeland's future prospects that
his party shall carry New York State at the
election next Tuesday. All over the country
there is, as the New York Tribune said on
Monday, general belief thar as goes New
York in 1887, so thecountry will 60 in 1882
and there would be no doubt that President
Cleveland appreciated this fact, even were
there wanting those plain an self evident
signs which now tell to the whole country
that the party Of the President is straining
every nerve to bolster up his fortunes for the
crisis. OF the tactics of the present cam
paign in that State one word gives perfect
description, and that word is doodle"
The Democratic State Committee is headed'
says the New York Tribune, 'by man
whose methods of political work in Troy
have become noted all over the State as the
worst and most debasing known to modern
politics The committee has levied contri-
buttons right and left on Federal and State
officials, from President Cleveland down.
candidates, wealthy and ambitious members
Of the party, and organizations inimical to
the public welfare, whose ends would be
served by Democratic successes. From these
sources a campaign fund has been accumulat-
cd which is said by Democrats themselves to
be over 100000, and which they declare will
reach quarter of a million before the close
of this week. With this quarter of q million
dollars they will endeayor to buy up the
State. But strange to say hardly cent of
this money has been used for those legti-
mate expenses which usually burden party
in "A pon1noiOn I lie cd Lon, oo1
ity that the State committee has sent out no
literature for the intelligent consideration of
voters, and has not put single speaker on
the platform. But on the other hand vast
army OF mercenaries have been enlisted.
Ihere is man, it is said, in every town and
voting precinct in the State, who is emploved
for the sole purpose of canyassing the dis
trict, finding out the doubtful voters. ascer-
tanning the means by which they can be in
fluenced, and where they are deemed suscen-
tible to the use OF money marking them for
election day. These agents are empowered
to employ not more than three men to assist
them in their canvass, and these assistants
are also paid for their services. BY this
canvass the State committee expect to find
how many voters they can obtain from with
out the regular party lines, and how much
those votes will cost. To guard against the
dishonesty of agents, it is said that the con-
yenient scheme has been adopted of paying
over one half OF the money on the eve Of
election and the other half when the returns
show that the transactions of each agent
have been honest" These are the desper-
ate expedients of the Democratic party to
carry New York. Against these methods
the Republican party is making campaign
after the old, time-honored and success hon-
ored plan. The principles of the party. en-
bodied in the speeches Of its wisest men and
in the utterances of its ablest journals. are
put before the reading and rejecting Repub-
licans Of the State The Republican leaders
Of New York with leaders from other States